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NFL makes leading with helmet illegal

Associated Press

March 20, 2013

Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy answers a question from the media during the NFC coaches breakfast at the annual NFL meetings Wednesday at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. - Associated Press

PHOENIX – NFL owners passed a player safety rule Wednesday barring ball carriers from using the crown of their helmets to make forcible contact with a defender in the open field.

Several coaches and team executives expressed concern about officiating the new rule, but Commissioner Roger Goodell championed it and it passed Wednesday as the owners meetings concluded.

Its passage by a 31-1 vote – Cincinnati voted no – was the second significant step in protecting defensive players; on Tuesday, the league took the peel-back block out of the game.

“There was a lot of discussion,” Steelers President Art Rooney said of the helmet crown rule, “but the way it was presented was the most effective way to address it.”

The tuck rule, one of the most criticized rules in pro football, was eliminated. Now, if a quarterback loses control of the ball before he has fully protected it after opting not to throw, it is a fumble.

Rooney said the Steelers were the only team to vote against getting rid of the tuck rule. New England and Washington abstained.

“We didn’t think it was necessary to make that change,” Rooney said. “We were happy with the way it’s been called.”

Video review now will be allowed on plays when a coach challenges even though he is not allowed to. But the coach will be penalized or lose a timeout, depending on when he threw the challenge flag.

That change stems from Houston’s Thanksgiving victory over Detroit in which Lions coach Jim Schwartz challenged a touchdown run by the Texans’ Justin Forsett. Although officials clearly missed Forsett being down by contact before breaking free on the 81-yard run, when Schwartz threw the red flag on a scoring play that automatically is reviewed, the referee could not go to replay.

That loophole has been eliminated.

Goodell was eager to get approved the competition committee’s proposal to outlaw use of the crown of the helmet by ball carriers, and there was talk the vote would be tabled until May if the rule change didn’t have enough support.

The penalty will be 15 yards from the spot of the foul, and if both the offensive and defensive player lowers his head and uses the crown of the helmet to make contact, each will be penalized.

The owners discussed simply using fines on ball carriers to eliminate the tactic, but instead voted to make the rule change.

“Jim Brown never lowered his head,” Rooney said with a smile. “It can be done.”

Owners tweaking Rooney rule: The NFL is looking to make the Rooney Rule more effective after eight available coaching jobs and seven for general managers did not go to a minority candidate.

Goodell said “we were disappointed in the results this year.” But the league will make some tweaks that Goodell hopes will “make sure we get the right candidates better training and we really are doing a better job of getting them in front of the people who are making the decisions.”

The Rooney Rule, implemented in 2003, was named for Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, who steadfastly pushed the league to require every team to interview at least one minority candidate every time there is a coaching or general manager opening.

Pro Bowl back in Hawaii: The Pro Bowl will return to Honolulu next January and again will be played the week before the Super Bowl.

Goodell said that the all-star game he once considered scrapping has been scheduled for Aloha Stadium Jan. 26. He added that Hawaii will be included “on some sort of rotational basis” in any future Pro Bowl scheduling.